Big Brother Ted
by annie55226
Summary: Remus and Sirius married and adopted Teddy during the war. After defeating Voldemort, Harry flees the country and de-ages himself, wanting to get away it all. This is the story of the Lupin-Blacks, as told from Remus' point of view.
1. Chapter 1

"Teddy! Are you almost ready? We are going to be late enough as is," I yell up the stairs to where my five year old son is scrounging around his room trying to find his missing shoe. I can't help but mentally add, make sure Teddy cleans his room this weekend to the never ending list of things that should have been done last week.

"Calm down Rem, you still have plenty of time to drop Ted off at your parents before flooing to meet with the realtor," Sirius says walking up to me and hugging me from behind.

"I thought you already left? You're usually gone by this time in the morning," I comment, turning around to face my husband.

"I know, but Albus flooed asking for me to stop by for mid-morning tea so I flooed the office and told them I would be a little late. You know babe, I have been thinking of maybe leaving the aurors," Sirius says turning me to face him, but we are interrupted by Teddy bounding down the stairs and jumping into his Daddy's arms.

"Papa said you had to work this morning and that I wouldn't see you until dinner tonight!" He says sending me a small glare. I open my mouth to reply, but Sirius beats me to it.

"Hey pup, don't give your papa that look. He didn't think I'd be here either, I surprised you both!" he says hoisting Teddy up and swinging him up into the air to make him laugh.

"Well, are we ready then?" I ask, looking Teddy over to make sure he is properly dressed, while he is five and definitely able to dress himself, he does have a tendency to put shirts on backwards or mess up buttons.

"Why now?" I ask Sirius.

"I just feel like I have missed out on a lot, and that I continue to miss out on things… I don't want Teddy to grow up with me never being around," he says passing Teddy over to me.

"We will discuss this later. Has Albus heard from Harry?" I ask walking Teddy to the front door and grabbing his coat, helping him to put it on and then letting him zip it up. I may be summer but it is early enough to be slightly cool and there is a nice breeze.

It has been four years since the war ended and Harry disappeared off into the world. Harry took care of Voldemort, was treated by Madam Pomfrey, and promptly left. No one knows where he went off to, but he has stayed in contact with Sirius and I, sending us letters every now and then to try and keep us from worrying. We can't help ourselves though, I know I for one won't stop worrying until I can see for myself that he is alright.

Sirius and I have both tried multiple times to try and get Harry to come home, even if just for a short visit, but every time we say something he ignores it. We know he misses everyone, because he always asks how everyone is doing, and we understand that leaving was his way of coping and grieving. But now he needs to be home with his family.

"No, but I know he is worried… it's been months since he has contacted anyone," he replies walking over to me and giving me a peck on the lips, and bending to kiss Teddy's forehead as I shrug on my own jacket.

I nod my head in reply to Sirius, before grabbing Teddy's hand and leading us out of the house and onto the front stoop of Grimmauld place. I pick Teddy back up before apparating us to my parents' house. My parents have been great in helping us take care of Teddy. I lost my job not too long ago, and have been desperately looking for a new one. With Sirius working long hours at the aurors, my parents have been irreplaceable when it comes to watching Teddy while I job and house hunt.

Sirius and I want to move out of Grimmauld place, too many memories for the two of us, but there is no way we can based on the little money we have saved up over the years. Sirius and I for once agreed on something when it came to our money situation, and that was that we want to keep as far away from the Black vaults as possible. There really is no real justification for it other than pride, and wanting to leave as much money as we can to Teddy and any other future children we have.

Sirius and I have slowly been saving up ever since we got together, not long after Sirius escaped Azkaban. Sirius was stuck in Grimmauld place for two years before Peter was captured, and Sirius was declared free. Those two years, were terrible. I could tell Sirius was miserable, and since I was working and he was not, I started to put money aside towards us getting a new place. A few months after Sirius was proven innocent, we got married, and just when the peak of the war hit, Teddy came into our lives.

It doesn't take me long to drop Teddy off, only stopping in to say a quick hello to my parents and making sure Teddy is settled in. I then quickly apparate to our realtor's office. Despite mine and Sirius' hesitation in using the Black vaults, we have decided to sell Grimmauld place. There is nothing but bad memories and dark magic in that house. We are hoping to sell the house for enough that we can by a new place. Hopefully somewhere out in the countryside.

For some reason, Sirius did not want to partake in choosing our new house, at all. He has given me full reign, his only request being that the new house is bright and has lots of windows, which given his history and time spent in Azkaban is totally understandable. This is the third time that I have met with the relator, and I am hoping it is the last.

* * *

><p>We spend the majority of the morning looking at house after house, and finally just as we are drawing near lunch time and I am becoming desperate, we floo into a house that I can only describe as being perfect.<p>

It has a large and open ground floor. The front door opens up into an entry way, and off to the left there is a large room that could be an office or small sitting room. Directly in front of the door is a grand staircase, just past the staircase leads into the family room (where we flooed in), and connected is the kitchen. To the right of the front door and connecting to the kitchen is the dining room.

Not only is the downstairs large and open, but the back of the house seems covered in windows. The fireplace is facing the front of the house, but there are large windows on either side of it. This makes the house look bright and cheerful.

We head upstairs, and there are four bedrooms. I don't know what we would ever do with that many bedrooms, but for a downside, that is really an upside. The house is set out in the countryside, Teddy definitely has lots of room to run around outside, and I can't help but cheer at that. Like any young boy Teddy is full of energy.

I tell the realtor that I will bring Sirius back to look at the house that night so we can make a decision. After leaving, I stop and buy a quick sandwich before heading to my other appointment of the day, aka my job interview at Florish and Blotts.

* * *

><p>Florish and Blotts offers me a job as a day time manager, which I gladly accept. It is your typical day job, but I have always wanted to work at a bookstore so am excited to start. I apparate back to Grimmauld excited to tell Sirius about my successful day, and then spend the evening relaxing with my husband and son.<p>

* * *

><p>I find Sirius sitting in the kitchen staring off into the distance and absentmindedly stirring a cup of tea.<p>

"Sirius? Everything all right?"

Sirius jumps before looking up at me and shrugging his shoulders. Not really sure what that means, I prod, "how was your meeting with Albus?"

"Interesting. Minerva was there. She offered me a job as the new transfiguration professor. Albus has finally decided to step down," he says staring down at the table. I frown, confused why this isn't making him happy. Wasn't it just this morning that he was saying he wanted to leave the aurors? Sounds like the perfect reason to.

"Well that's good isn't it? Why aren't you jumping up and down?"

"Albus found Harry, Remus."

"Really?! Where is he? How is he?" I ask unable to hide my surprise.

"He de-aged himself Remus. He was in Ireland and has been picked up by the child protective services there. They contacted Albus because Harry fudged the files before he did it. Listed Albus as his emergency contact. Apparently I am still listed as godfather. He asked if we would adopt him. I said yes. I know I should have talked to you first but-"

"No Sirius, you did the right thing. I can't image either of us ever saying no to taking Harry in. I guess it is a good thing the house I found today has four bedrooms…" I trail off.

"Harry wrote a letter to Albus explaining himself… He wanted a chance to be able to live life without constantly hiding from the media, and worrying about how others saw him. He changed files in the muggle world to ensure that Albus was contacted once he was deaged and found. He didn't want us to stop him, or try to talk him out of it."

"Oh Harry…" I mutter, collapsing into a chair at the table and staring down at my hands. I can't imagine what was going through his head to convince him to deage himself. Especially when we couldn't even get him to come home for a day.


	2. Chapter 2

After filling Sirius in on the potential house and my job offer, he explains that while he accepted Minerva's offer he declined on the offer to live in the castle. He says he doesn't want to ruin the magic of Teddy's first time at Hogwarts, but I think he was just using that as an excuse.

We went to the realtors, and Sirius got a tour of the house, before we agreed that we wanted it. We signed all the necessary paperwork before going and picking up Teddy from my parents. Dinner that evening was much quieter then usual. Sirius and I both had a lot on our minds and we knew that we had to address it all with Teddy, preferably tonight.

"We should ask Albus if we can borrow some house elves to help us move. When are we supposed to be getting Harry?" I ask while Sirius and I are cleaning up after dinner and Teddy is upstairs playing with his toys.

"He apparently flew in last night. Albus was going to go tonight and alter Harry's appearance, and the necessary memories to ensure that he isn't recognized. But he wanted us to go meet with Harry tomorrow."

"I only ask because it would be unfair to Harry if we were to get him settled in here just to move a couple of days later…"

"I'll write to Albus."

After cleaning the kitchen until it is nearly spotless, I know that we can delay the inevitable no longer. Sirius and I head upstairs and into Teddy's room, sitting down on teddy's bed on either side of him.

"Well Teddy, today I met with Grandpa Albus and Auntie Minerva-" Sirius starts.

"At Hogwarts! Why didn't you take me with you! I could have gone and seen Fang and Hagrid!"

"I know you love to go visit them, but this was not a meeting for little boys," Sirius says, continuing, "Well, Auntie Minerva offered me a job teaching at Hogwarts. I accepted, and Papa was also offered a job today, working at Florish and Blotts in Diagon Alley."

"And you know that Daddy and I have been thinking of getting a new house, right? We have talked about this already?" I ask waiting for his nod before continuing. "Well I found a great new house for us today!" I say before explaining the new house and its location to him.

Sirius and I both hold our breath waiting to see what the reaction will be to this news. Teddy looks deep in thought before he starts talking.

"Well that's alright I suppose. We don't even have a yard here! And you said that out new house has a huge yard so there is lots of room to run around!"

After this declaration, I can't help but laugh. I have been so worried about what Teddy would say, and he definitely has seen the most out of the situation.

"Will I still go to school this year?"

"Well, not the one we were planning on sending you to, but you will go to Hogsmeade Primary School," I say running a hand through his hair. This is Teddy's first year of school, and I know that he is looking forward to starting and to meeting some new friends.

"Well I am glad that was settled so easily! Though we do have one more thing to talk to you about," Sirius says leaning back a bit so he can look Teddy in the eye. "As I said, I also saw Grandpa Albus today, and he told us about a little boy who is my godson whose parents passed away when he was younger, and he no longer has a place to stay. He is only four, so you are bigger than him, but-"

"Is he going to come stay with us?" I am almost happy he asks the question, stopping me from figuring out a way to tell him.

"We would like to adopt him and make him a part of the family, yes."

"So he'd be my little brother? I've always wanted to be a big brother."

"Yes, he'd be your little brother. And it will never change the way Sirius and I feel about you, we aren't trying to replace you, and we will never love you any less than we do now," I say pulling my little boy into a hug. Sometimes it surprises me how understanding and wise little kids can be.

"I think we should do it. He doesn't have any parents, and if I didn't have you or Daddy I'd be very sad, and I'd want someone to share their parents with me too."

"How did we luck out and get such a great kid?" Sirius jokingly asks leaning in to give Teddy and me a hug as well.

"When can I meet him?" Teddy asks, surprising us both.

Many hours later, after Sirius and I have answered all of the random questions Teddy had, and he is tucked up in his bed fast asleep, I find myself sitting in the kitchen with a glass of tea thinking of how this one day turned our whole family upside down, hopefully for the better.

Sirius and I wake up Teddy the next morning and Sirius floos him right over to my parents' house, still in his pajamas. I quickly shower and get dressed knowing that both Sirius and I can't wait to see Harry and start to settle our little family in to our new home. Sirius quickly explains the situation to my parents, and though they are shocked at the fact that we are adopting a new son they are happy for us.

We arrive at the Headmasters office to meet Albus.

"I was wondering when you two would be arriving. Sirius I got your letter last night, and I am sure that we have a few house elves that could help you pack up your house and move into your new place," he says smiling at us standing basically in the mouth of the fireplace.

He calls a house elf to lead a group to help us, and quickly hands out his instructions to it before leading the way to the floo. He leads the way through the floo network and to our meeting with Harry.

Harry and the government official had been notified that we were coming, and were sitting waiting for us in some government office. I don't even know what town I am in, but I trust Albus to know where we are going. Sirius and I follow him out of the floo and out of the restaurant that we had arrived in. We walk through the streets for a while, before we finally reach a large brick building and head inside, where Albus exchanges some quick words with the secretary before motioning us to follow.

We walk into a small office that contains only a few book shelves, a couch, and a desk. There is a stern looking woman sitting at the desk, but my eyes are immediately drawn to the young boy sitting on the couch looking miserable. I immediately head towards the boy, who has light brown hair, not far different than my own, but with a slightly red tone, and Sirius follows not far behind me while Albus heads over to the woman.

"Hi Harry," I say softly kneeling down in front of him. He looks up, and I am slightly startled to see bright blue eyes. I knew he was going to look different but it is still unexpected. When he doesn't say anything I continue. "My name is Remus, and this is my husband Sirius," I say while the boy continues to stare.

"We were both real good friends of your parents, and I am your godfather. Do you know what that means?" Sirius asks while trying to make eye contact with the boy, who shakes his head. "It means that if something were to happen to your parents that made them unable to take care of you, they wanted me to take over for them. So that's the question, do you want to come live with us?"

"You don't have to make a decision right now, when can spend a couple of days just meeting and getting to know each other if you'd like. But either way, you also need to know that the two of us also have a son. His name is Teddy and he is five, so just a year older than you," I say taking back over the conversation. He nods his head, before taking a deep breath and seeming to have an internal debate. Harry may not have told Sirius and me everything about his life with the Dursleys, but we know enough to know it wasn't a happy home.

"It's alright Harry, you can ask whatever you want," I say while laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. I feel him tense, like he isn't used to being touched but he doesn't toss my hand off. I frown slightly when I realize that that is probably true.

"Do you think Teddy will like me?" he mutters staring down at his knees.

"Oh, I am sure he will! As long as you are nice to him, but Teddy has always wanted to have a little brother," Sirius says sending me a small smile.

"A-a brother?"

"Yes Harry. If you come and live with us, we would want to adopt you and make you our son as well. That way no one can take you from us, and we will all be together as a family," Sirius says, never breaking eye contact with the boy.

"Really?! You want to adopt me? Honest?" he asks looking up at me as if I am going to deny everything Sirius has said and claim it all as a joke.

"Yes Harry. We want to adopt you and have you come live with us and Teddy," I say softly, pulling the boy into a hug when I see the tears in his eyes. "Hush pup, it'll all be alright soon," I mutter as I feel him tremble in my arms, and I begin to rub his back.

I stand up, still holding Harry in my arms and take a seat on the couch, my knees were starting to protest kneeling on the ground the way I was, but I was unwilling to let go of Harry so I settle him on my lap, where he continues to press his face into my shoulder. I feel Sirius sit down next to me, and look up to see the sorrow in his face that I am sure I am reflecting. The amount of pain in this little boy makes me feel like I didn't do nearly enough for Harry in his first childhood.

"You feel better now Harry?" I ask as his sniffles settle down. I feel him nod his head. I wouldn't be surprised if the boy fell asleep after a big cry like that. I start to sway my body a bit rocking him slightly, feeling him relax even more.

I look down at him, to find him staring up at me studying my face.

"Will you be my daddy then?" he asks me, and I can't help but feel startled. I never expected him to want to call me that so early on.

"Well, Teddy calls me Daddy," Sirius says cutting in, and Harry looks heartbroken for a moment, so Sirius is quick to continue, "But, he calls Remus Papa. Would it be alright if I was your daddy, and Remus was your papa as well?" he asks while leaning over to card a hand through the boy's hair.

Harry breaks into a huge grin while quickly nodding his head, and I can't help but smile myself. Sirius and I spend the next little while introducing Harry to the concept of magic, before telling him about Hogwarts, and a little bit about Teddy as well. Once we finish talking, I look down to see that Harry is only minutes away from sleep. So I stand up, holding him in my arms and gently rock him off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Once Harry was deeply asleep, we flooed back to Hogwarts and from there, I headed to Grimmauld while Sirius headed to my parents to pick up Teddy. With having two boys now Sirius and I are going to have to sit down and try to coordinate our schedules with the boys' school schedules. Teddy starts primary school this year, and Harry will start going to preschool. My parents are both retired, and my mom has been watching Teddy once or twice a week when I had been working and he only had half days of school. She loved it, but I don't know if she would still be willing to when we now have two boys.

I walk into the sitting room and lay Harry down on a couch before throwing a blanket on him. The sitting room is across from the living room that I know Sirius and Teddy will use if they floo instead of apparate. I don't want to put Harry up in a bedroom, in case he wakes up and we aren't around. I don't want him to panic.

I grab a book and settle down in my chair across the hall from Harry.

"Papa!" I hear Teddy yell as he walks into the house, he must have been shushed by Sirius because the noise cuts off half way through.

I hear Teddy head up the stairs and into his room and not long after, Sirius makes an appearance in the doorway.

"Harry asleep? Teddy is super excited to meet him, wouldn't stop talking about it. Your mom wants you to floo call her tonight or tomorrow by the way. I think she is mad we didn't tell her we were thinking of adopting."

"I'll do it once the boys are in bed tonight. I did a little scope around, and it looks like the house is mostly packed up. Once Harry wakes up we will have to head to our new house."

We sit together for a little while, me going back to my book, until Teddy joins us announcing that he is bored. One advantage of our new house is that it is a cross between a muggle and magical household. Not only do I know that Teddy will like the addition of a television but I also know that the muggle appliances will comfort Harry. He will have some things that he recognizes while his life is basically turned upside down.

When I realize that it is has been almost two hours since Harry fell asleep, I decide to go wake him up. I don't want him to sleep too much because then he won't sleep tonight. I get up and walk across the hall, stopping in the hallway when I hear Teddy and Sirius laughing upstairs.

"Hey Harry," I say softly, sitting down next to the boy noticing that he is already awake. "Have you been awake long?"

He shakes his head. "I didn't know where you were, I thought that I had dreamt it all," he says while tears come to his eyes once again.

"Oh pup," I mutter before scooping him up into my arms again. "I'm sorry you thought that, we were only right across the hall. Teddy is back from school and we didn't want to wake you."

For some reason, that seems to only make the boy cry harder. I pull him closer to me, so his head is resting on my shoulder again, and start to rub his back trying to calm him down.

"It's been such a long day huh buddy… I am sure after a good night's sleep tonight, you will feel much better tomorrow," I say to him while placing a kiss on the top of his head as he starts to settle down. "Now, how about we go find Sirius and Teddy? I know that Teddy is really excited to meet you."

"Really?"

"Really really," I reply, putting Harry onto the floor and grabbing his hand. I lead the way up the stairs and to Teddy's room.

As soon as we walk through the doorway, Teddy is there rushing towards us.

"Hiya Harry!" he says excitedly, and the little boy doesn't know what to do, so grabs my hand tighter before trying to hide his face in my pants.

"It's alright," I say, picking him up once again, grabbing Teddy's hand, and walking over to the bed. I sit down on the edge of the bed, and Sirius comes over sitting down next to me, before picking Teddy up and placing him in his own lap. I turn Harry so that he is sitting sideways in my lap, facing both Teddy and Sirius.

"Harry, this is Teddy," I say indicating the other boy. Now that the two of them are so close to each other I can't help but be startled by their size differences. Teddy has to easily be a head taller than Harry, and he definitely has more meat on his bones. "Teddy, this is Harry."

"Hi Harry," Teddy says, much calmer this time but still with a huge smile. "I've always wanted to have a brother. I am really excited that you are coming to live with us."

"Really? You don't mind at all? I lived with my aunt, uncle and cousin before and my cousin didn't like me at all… he used to chase me with his friends, and one time he gave me a bloody nose," he says looking at Teddy fearfully. I glance up at Sirius, and see him start to say something, but shake my head, wanting to see what Teddy says.

"Well that's terrible! Big brothers protect their little brothers! I would never chase you and if your cousin or anyone else ever tries to hurt you, I will teach them a lesson!" Teddy says fiercely, and before anyone can move, Harry has launched himself out of my lap and at Teddy, giving the older boy a huge hug, that he reciprocates with the same amount of energy and emotion.

* * *

><p>We then decide to head over to our new home. Harry and Teddy are inseparable at this moment, so I floo first, with the two boys clutching each other's' hands while Sirius seals up the house and follows after.<p>

It's crazy the difference in the house now that it has most of our stuff in it. While the ground floor looks a lot less open now filled with furniture, the presence of our stuff makes it feel more like home.

"Alright boys. There are four bedrooms upstairs. Two of them have an en suite bathroom, one of those rooms will be mine and Daddy's while the other will be a guest room. The other two rooms are right next to each other, and across the hall from them is a bathroom. These will be your rooms and you two will share a bathroom.

"One room is green and the other is blue but otherwise they are identical to each other. You guys can pick who gets what, but know that we can change the color if you want us to!" I yell the last bit as Teddy races off up the stairs, dragging Harry along to go look at the rooms.

"Where are the boys?" Sirius asks flooing in behind me and stepping out of the fireplace.

"Fighting over who gets what room."

"Alright boys, tell me who gets which room, and then it will be time for dinner!" Sirius yells as he walks up the stairs. I smile and head to the kitchen to start some pasta for dinner.

* * *

><p>It's doesn't take long for the food to be ready, and Sirius walks downstairs without the boys. Teddy decided he wanted the blue room, and though Sirius asked Harry if he wanted us to change the color of the green room, he insisted that green is his favorite color.<p>

Each room is equipped with a bed that is raised up on a platform, leaving plenty of floor space for the boys to play on. Each room also has a window, with a window seat, and a desk. There's a couple of dressers, a large closet, and an end table for the bed, but none of those objects really got either boys' attention, according to Sirius.

"Albus thought of everything," Sirius says walking up behind me where I am at the stove stirring the pasta.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, while I was up there with the boys, I looked through some of their drawers. Most of Teddy's old clothes, or at least anything that could fit Harry is in his room. It also looks like Albus went shopping for some new things for him as well. We will have to go and get him some toys and such though."

"Let's try to go tomorrow, the sooner we get Harry some things, the sooner he can start believing that he is staying here with us. We should also probably call and make an appointment for him with a healer, you know make sure everything is all right," I say, grabbing the pasta off of the stove and draining it in the sink.

As I finish up with dinner, Sirius goes upstairs to round up our boys to eat. I make some plates of food and poor glasses of milk for both of the boys before setting them on the table.

"Wash your hands please!" I hear Sirius calls as he comes back down the stairs.

Dinner that night is a bit quiet. Harry is the most silent of us all but seems to be comfortable where he is, and Sirius and I try to leave him be despite wanting to know how he feels. After dinner, Sirius offers to clean up and do the dishes, so I take the boys into the family room for a little while. Teddy goes upstairs to get his building blocks, and soon the family room is filled with towers.

"Alright boys, how about we clean up the blocks and watch a show," Sirius says walking into the family room and taking a seat next to me on the couch which I had recently occupied when I left the boys to their block building on the floor. I take a look at the clock and understand that Sirius is trying to calm the boys down to prep for bed.

We turn the TV onto some cartoon children's show, and it doesn't take long before the two boys are hooked. After only fifteen minutes of watching, I notice that Harry is starting to fall asleep on the couch. I pick him up before turning to Sirius.

"I'm going to go give Harry a bath and put him to bed," I say as Harry snuggles into my arms.

"Goodnight Harry," he says softly standing up so he can give the boy a kiss on the forehead.

"'Night," Harry mumbles smiling sleepily.

Bath time happens with little fuss. Harry is far too sleepy to care, so I wash him up really quick before dressing him in some warm pajamas. I carry him to his room, turning on a night light in the room and one in the bathroom, before tucking him in.

"Goodnight Harry, if you need anything come and get either Sirius or I," I say, brushing the hair out of his face. "Sleep well," I say before leaning down and giving him a kiss on the forehead.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey everyone! Long time, no update... sorry about that. But Here's a new chappie! It's actually fairly long (Sorry? Not sure if that's really a bad thing) but I didn't like splitting it into two chapters like I originally planned so finally just decided to do it as one long chapter... but I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think about it :)

* * *

><p>With Harry asleep in his bed, I make myself and Sirius some tea before returning to Teddy and Sirius in the living room.<p>

"Hiya Papa!" Teddy says when I walk into the room, and he quickly adjusts so that I can sit next to him on the couch, I do so setting the tea down on the table.

"Hey kiddo," I respond carding my fingers through his hair. I look up and notice that the show we had been watching is over.

"Well, you still have a little time until bedtime, so why don't you go find a toy to play with quietly. But please try to keep your voice down, Harry is already asleep in bed," I say setting the boy down on his feet.

"You can play for half an hour than Papa or I will come get you for your bath," Sirius says as Teddy runs past and up the stairs to his room, before slamming the door shut. I cringe and sit in the silence straining for any sound from Harry's bedroom.

"Do you want me to go check on him?" Sirius asks me, taking his tea cup from the table beside me and joining me on the couch.

"No, I don't want to wake him. If you go in after the door slamming, I don't think he would just fall back asleep. Let's just wait and see what happens, he might not have even woken up."

We sit in a peaceful silence, just enjoying each other's company until Sirius gets up to go take Teddy to his bath. I can't help but be happy that I do not have to deal with Teddy's bath tonight. He has never been a huge fan of them, but recently he has become obsessed with playing in the bath. So much so, that it is near impossible to get him out of the tub.

"Remus, Teddy has requested you for story time tonight," Sirius says after some time has passed. I look up from the book I had been reading to see him grinning from ear to ear.

"Well! We better not keep him waiting!" I joke, setting my book down, and leading the way up the stairs.

I walk into Teddy's room to find him already tucked into bed with the book of Grimm Fairytales sitting on his lap. I grab the book before sitting down on the bed next to Teddy, while Sirius pulls the desk chair over to the bed before sitting down as well.

Teddy is still awake by the time I finish the story, but looking at the clock I notice that it is much past his bedtime, so no matter how much he begs I refuse to start another one. I set the book down on the bedside table before standing up.

"Goodnight pup, love you lots. If you need anything, come get me or Daddy," I say bending down to place a kiss on his forehead. Sirius follows suit, before turning off the lights and turning on the night light.

"Well, it's now or never I suppose," I say to Sirius walking out of Teddy's room and down to our new living room so I can floo over to my parents'. "Will you be alright here for a little while? I'll try not to be too long but who knows with my parents."

"Why don't you call over there and invite them here. I'll put on some tea and then we can both face your mother together. You know she is going to be upset that we didn't tell her we were considering adopting again," he says walking over to me and patting me on the back in a way that says he's glad he isn't me.

"Alright, but get out some of those chocolate covered biscuits my dad like. Got to butter up at least one of them, right?" I joke before heading over to the floo. I toss in some powder before kneeling and sticking my head into the flames.

"Hello Remus! Hope! Remus is here!" My dad calls for my mother, while standing from his chair where he had been sitting reading. He was probably just waiting for me to arrive. "I hope you aren't really planning on having this conversation with your mother through the floo. She has quite a few things to say to you," he says turning to me and raising an eyebrow.

"Actually, I was just stopping by to invite you over for a cup of tea. Sirius thought that would be the best. Plus then you can see a bit of our new house."

"Alright. Step back, I'll go find your mother and we will be right through," he says, so I tell him our new Floo location before pulling my head from the flames.

* * *

><p>Sirius finishes making the tea, and carries the tray out to the living room, while I tidy up the blocks Harry and Teddy were playing with earlier.<p>

"Sirius! Remus! I already love your house and I've only seen the living room," my mother says stepping through the flames and pulling Sirius into a hug before heading my way. As she hugs me, my father arrives and he gives Sirius a hug before reaching for me as well.

"Come, I'll show you the downstairs. You'll have to come back during the day sometime and get a tour of the upstairs. I know Teddy is going to want to show off his new bedroom," I say before leading them into the kitchen.

My mother loves the kitchen, just like I thought she would. She comments on how nice the wood cabinets are and the how large and open it is. I know it won't be long before she is over here baking cookies with the boys or cooking some sort of meal.

We then walk through the dining room, though there isn't much to see there, nor in the office space on the other side of the front door. I know Sirius will take over that space. He'll need it now that he is going to have to start grading papers and writing tests.

We then join Sirius in the living room, where I sit down next to Sirius on the couch and wait for my mom to say something. I know it is only a matter of time.

"So, tell us about you new boy," Dad says as a conversation starter.

So Sirius quickly starts in on the tale of how Harry entered our lives, and a bit about him as well, we've only had him for a day though so there isn't a whole bunch to say.

"And Teddy is fine with everything?" Mom asks, staring at me.

"Harry and Teddy are getting along great actually. So far there haven't been any issues but we know not to expect things to be like this forever. Tomorrow we plan on taking the boys shopping. Albus got Harry some new clothes and when the house elves moved us they seemed to have put some of Teddy's old things away in Harry's room as well. But he obviously needs some toys, and a new pair of shoes and maybe a jacket…" I trail off thinking of all of the random little things we should buy for Harry. I should start a list.

"You will both love him. We plan on starting Harry in pre-school in the fall while Teddy starts primary school. We thought since Teddy was going to go to school in Hogsmede we'd look into sending Harry to school near there as well. And then comes the task of sorting out our schedules with the boys'. There is still a lot to be done," Sirius says taking over.

"Well your mother and I would like to help in whatever way we can. We loved having Teddy over a couple of times a week last year, so if you need us to do that with Harry please don't hesitate to ask," my dad says smiling and reaching for a biscuit on the table. I am actually surprised he held out this long.

"Why didn't you tell us you were thinking of adopting again? You know we just want you to be happy and it seems that the two of you have put some thought into this, but I can't help but feel that this has all happened a bit quickly. I just worry about you boys," my mom says sending us a concerned look and I can't say I blame her for feeling this way.

It has happened very fast, and if it wasn't Harry I'd be feeling way more overwhelmed by everything. I am not saying that I am not stressed about it all, just that Harry makes it worth it. I know I am willing to do anything for that boy.

"It has happened quickly but I don't regret doing it. We didn't tell you we were looking to adopt because we weren't even sure that we wanted to. But then when we saw Harry we knew he was right for us. We couldn't leave him, and we ended up having to take him in a lot sooner than expected. But now we just need to let things settle and get back into routine," I say nervously hoping that my parent buy the little white lie that I have to tell.

Mom takes a moment before nodding her head, and I look up to see Dad watching the two of us, before he shrugs a shoulder and nods as well. Now that Mom knows a bit more about the situation I can tell she feels better knowing that we didn't purposefully leave her out. I know once she has had the time to see us all together, and knows that things are going to work out she will stop questioning all of it.

"You two are going to have to get some sibling photographs done soon so I can have pictures of my grandsons to show off!" she says with a smile, and I know everything is going to be alright.

* * *

><p>My parents don't stay too much longer, knowing that we have two young boys upstairs that will be up in the morning whether we are ready for them or not. We both hug them goodbye and after Mom floos, Dad turns to us.<p>

"I want you to know that your mother and I know that the two of you aren't telling the whole truth about this situation, but I trust that you have made the best decision. I just want you to remember that Hope and I will never judge you, so if you ever need someone to talk to we are here," he says before grabbing some floo powder and leaving.

Sirius and I share a long look before deciding to head to bed ourselves. It has been a long day, there is no need to add to it.

* * *

><p>"AHHHHHH!" I jump up, startled awake by a loud wail. I turn to Sirius and see him in a similar state of panic.<p>

"You check on Harry, I'll check on Teddy," he says, throwing himself out of bed, grabbing his wand and slipping on his slippers. I don't hesitate to follow.

I follow Sirius down the hall, passing him when he stops at Teddy's door.

"Harry?" I ask walking into the room, and turning on the lights to a low setting. If he is still asleep I don't want to startle him awake. I walk over to the bed to find it empty. "Harry?" I ask again, trying to stop myself from panicking. He has to still be in the house, the doors are warded to prevent the boys from wandering off on their own. That doesn't mean that I don't panic when I find his bed empty.

I quickly check under the bed before walking out of the room to check the bathroom. While walking back to Harry's room, I pass Sirius and Teddy in the hall.

"The scream woke him up. He asked to sleep in our room tonight," Sirius says, carrying a sleepy Ted in his arms. "I'm going to go lay him down in our bed, I'll be back shortly."

I nod my head, before heading back to Harry's room. Unlike before, I can now hear some soft sniffles. I follow them to the closet. I slowly open the door to find Harry curled up in a ball in the back corner, with his arms wrapped around himself, with tears streaming down his face.

"Hey Harry," I say softly, trying not to startle him. It isn't very successful though, because he still jerks back smacking the back of his head against the wall behind him which causes him to yelp in pain. Despite my earlier plan to wait until Harry came to me, I can't ignore his pain so move forward scooping him up and carrying him out of the closet.

I quickly notice that he has wet bottoms so I know to avoid the bed choosing instead to grab one of the blankets off of the bed and wrap him up before carrying downstairs. First I will calm him down a bit before throwing him into a bath to clean him up. I carry him out into the living room where Sirius is waiting for us with a cup of hot cocoa for the boy.

"Hey kiddo," he says softly, running his fingers through his hair, causing Harry to flinch away when he reaches a tender spot on the back of his head. Sirius looks up at me in confusion.

"He hit the back of his head on the closet wall. Will you put some pain relief potion in his cocoa? And maybe a little bit of a calming draught? He had an accident, so he is going to need a bath before we can put him back to bed," I explain softly, rubbing Harry's back to try and calm him though it only seems to make him cry harder.

Sirius quickly runs a diagnostic charm to make sure Harry's head isn't severely injured before adding the necessary potions to the cocoa and handing me the mug.

"Here kiddo," I say softly, moving the mug up towards his face but he only shirks away. "It's alright, it's just some hot cocoa. Come on now pup, it will make you feel better," I say trying to coax him into drinking it.

When I can't get him to drink it, Sirius takes Harry from my arms before sitting down on the couch with the boy on his lap. Harry is securely wrapped up in the blanket sitting with his back against Sirius' chest and his head on Sirius' shoulder. If the boy wasn't so upset, I would comment on how sweet the two of them look all snuggled together.

Sirius reaches for the cup of cocoa, before pressing it to the boy's lips. I watch as Harry takes a small sip. Upon realizing that it does in fact taste good, he eagerly drinks a bit more. Noticing that I am not needed I head back to Harry's room.

I quickly strip the sheets and blankets off of the bed, and throw them in the hamper to be dealt with tomorrow. I cast a quick scourgify on the mattress before putting a clean set of sheets and blankets on the bed. I then head into the bathroom, starting the bath before heading to mine and Sirius' room to check on Teddy.

"Hey kiddo, you still up?" I whisper softly sitting down next to him on the bed.

"Yeah, is Harry ok?" he asks me.

"He'll be alright. He just had a bad dream, and when he woke up he didn't know where he was and was very scared," I say pulling Teddy up onto my lap. We have more than one scared child tonight, and even though Teddy isn't acting upset I know he needs just as much love and comfort.

"Do you think he'd feel better if he had a plushy? Stripes always makes me feel better if I wake up from a bad dream. Especially cause I can tell him all about the dream and that always helps," he says, talking about his favorite stuffed dog that he has had since he was a babe. He sits, playing with the buttons on my shirt with said dog tucked safely under one arm.

"Maybe. We will have to buy him one when we go shopping," I say to him.

"I have lots of plushys. He can have Snuffles, I hardly ever play with him anyways. Do you think that'd help?"

"I don't know, why don't you go get Snuffles, while I go check on Daddy and Harry? Then you can ask Harry if he wants Snuffles," I say smiling down at the boy in my lap. He gives me a huge smile, happy to be able to help, before jumping off of my lap and hurrying down the hall to his room.

I walk back to the bathroom, finding Sirius quickly washing up Harry who still has tears falling down his face but seems a lot calmer. Though that could just be from the potion.

"How's it going in here?" I ask softly, so as not to startle Harry.

"Alright, can you go grab some clean pajamas for Harry? Then I can change him in here and we don't need to go back to his room till tomorrow. I don't want to set him off again," Sirius says turning to me. I nod my head and quickly do as I am asked. I pass Teddy in the hallway and tell him to head back to mine and Sirius' room.

Sirius and I quickly get Harry dressed in his clean pajamas, before Sirius scoops him up and carries him to our room. When Harry sees Teddy he seems to try to hide in Sirius' neck, and Sirius lets Harry try to calm himself down while sitting down on the bed. Teddy crawls over to them on the bed before sitting down next to Sirius and patting Harry on the back, and I can't help but grin to myself.

"It's ok Harry. I have bad dream sometimes too but Papa and Daddy always make it better. And hugging my stuffed dog, Stripes, helps too. I've got another stuffed dog, I thought maybe you could have him cause I know he gets lonely when I spend time with Stripes… his name is Snuffles cause when you hug him he makes this little huffing noise," Teddy says before holding out the small all black dog.

"I can keep him?" Harry asks Teddy softly, turning his head towards him. "And he's not broken or nothing? Are you sure?"

Teddy nods his head, before holding the dog a little closer to Harry. Harry hesitantly reaches out a hand before grabbing the stuffed dog and hugging him close.

"Alright, well I think that that is enough excitement for one night, don't you? How about we all try to get some sleep?" Sirius says standing up to pull the blankets back before laying down with Harry curled into his side, hugging his new plushy tightly against his chest.

I follow Sirius' lead and lay down on the other side of the bed, where Teddy quickly attaches himself to my side with his blue and white striped dog tucked in between us.


End file.
